


Love Actually

by RembrandtsWife



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Movies, Future Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Separations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 17:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8904136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RembrandtsWife/pseuds/RembrandtsWife
Summary: Bitty watches nearly all of his favorite holiday movies to cope with Jack's absence right before Christmas.





	

**Author's Note:**

> _A Christmas without Snow_ is a real movie and you should watch it. I also hate _It's A Wonderful Life._

Bitty did not often resent Jack's success as a hockey player, but he was resenting it right now. He was resenting it because the Falconers' schedule had taken them on a long roadie to multiple cities right before Christmas, and now, just as Jack was on his way home, an "arctic blast" with heavy snow and, in some places, blizzard conditions was moving into the northeast.

Bitty had refused to do a lot of decorating without Jack, but he'd done their Christmas shopping (with a lot of consultations by Skype) and, of course, he'd done a ton of holiday baking. He'd probably never baked this much for Christmas in his life, between having so much time to himself and then starting to worry about Jack vs. the weather. Everybody else was busy shopping and cooking and decorating, too, so he'd filled his free time, which he still had too much of, by watching his favorite Christmas movies.

So far he'd watched three versions of _A Christmas Carol_ (the Muppets, Patrick Stewart, and the classic film with Alistair Sim), Rudolph (twice), Frosty, _The Little Drummer Boy_ (his mother's personal favorite, next to _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ , because it was actually religious), and the one with the California Raisins. He hated _It's A Wonderful Life_ and always saved Charlie Brown for Christmas Eve. Last night he'd watched a movie Alicia Zimmermann recommended called _A Christmas Without Snow_ , from the 1980s, about a little church choir that tackles singing Handel's Messiah, and that had turned out to be really good.

Then this morning Jack had called. "Hi, Bits."

"Hi, sweetheart!" Eric turned down the heat under the marinara sauce he was making. "Where are you?"

"Quebec City. Well, Jean Lesage Airport, that is." There was a quick rush of noise in the background, probably Jack switching the phone to his other ear. "We're supposed to fly into Boston and then a bunch of us are carpooling back to Providence, but this storm is holding us up."

"Oh, I was looking at the radar over breakfast--it looks awful!" He stirred the tomato sauce with his free hand. 

"We had a morning flight but it's been delayed. I didn't want you to worry--I'll call you and keep updated."

"Okay, thanks, sweetheart. Be safe."

"I will, Bits. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Flights from Quebec City to Boston normally took around four hours; the drive from Boston to Providence took about an hour, less if the weather was good and the driver pushed the speed limit. (Eric knew first hand.) The weather in Providence had been clear and cold when Jack first called; by the time he called back, three hours later, the temperature had risen slightly, freezing rain was beating on the apartment windows, and he still hadn't boarded a flight. 

"I dunno, Bits, I might not be able to get out of this damned airport today. Even if I do, I might have to overnight in Boston, just to be safe."

"I miss you, Jack, you know that, but I want you to do what's safe." He looked at the lasagna in progress on the kitchen island and wondered if he would just eat the whole thing himself. Well, he could always freeze it.

"I'll let you know if anything changes, Eric. Try not to worry, eh?"

"I can just bake another batch of cookies." He laughed weakly. 

"You do that, because I've really missed your baking on this roadie." Jack's voice dropped a little. "Among other things."

"Oh, honey...." Bitty wriggled a little, trying not to get hard. Cooking while horny was not a good idea (he knew from experience).

"I gotta go get something to eat, Bits. Mom said give her a call if you get antsy, okay?"

"Okay--"

"Bye for now."

The freezing rain turned to snow that piled up quickly and quietly on the streets. Eric put on some Christmas music, got the lasagna in the oven, made egg nog and allowed himself a slug of brandy in it (maybe two slugs). As the view out the windows blurred white, smeared with the rainbow hues of Christmas lights, he fidgeted around the warm kitchen and finally broke down and called Alicia.

"Believe me, Eric, I know how you feel." Of course she did, and he relaxed a little just hearing her warm voice over the phone. "But it's a good thing they're not letting them fly out of Lesage today. It means Jack is safe. The storm was worse up here and left behind almost four feet of snow, plus a lot of ice."

Four feet. Just thinking about that much snow made his fingers and toes feel cold.

"I won't tell you not to worry, because I know you'll worry anyway. But I will tell you it'll be okay."

They talked a little about Christmas plans and menus, then said good-bye with more reassurances. As he was taking the lasagna out of the oven, he got a text from Jack: No flights till tomorrow. Will call you from the hotel.

Hoping that wine after egg nog was not a recipe for disaster, Bitty poured himself a glass of Cabernet to go with the lasagna and sat down in the living room to watch his favorite Christmas movie, _Love Actually_.

Watching a movie where he could practically recite every line along with the actors turned out to be a pretty effective distraction. So did another couple glasses of wine and a cozy fleece throw to keep away the chill of the snow piling up on the window sills. He woke up thirsty and stiff-necked, having missed the big Christmas pageant and the lobsters present at the birth of Christ. 

A big glass of water helped, but he had no texts or calls from Jack. It was pushing midnight, so he loaded the dishwasher, hand-washed a few things that needed it, and went to bed, trying not to cry.

It would have been nice to have a Christmas miracle and wake up with Jack snuggled up next to him, but real life didn't work that way. The only person snuggled up with Bitty on the morning of Christmas Eve was Senor Bun. The snow had stopped, leaving Providence silent and white as a Christmas carol. Bitty lay in bed in his Christmas pyjamas, red with white snowflakes, looked at the flat white sky, and wished with all his heart that Jack were home.

His phone trilled and Bitty actually flinched, startled into full wakefulness. Seeing it was Jack, he fumbled the phone in his haste to answer.

"Honey?"

"Bits!" Jack sounded tired but happy. "I'm sorry for calling you so early--"

"No, it's all right--"

"But we're about to board a non-stop flight for Logan. I should be home in about four hours, home for Christmas Eve."

Eric Bittle made a decision then, one which he did not tell his husband. "Oh, that's great, Jack. I miss you so much, so glad you're on your way home."

Eric got up, took a shower, and made some bacon and eggs for breakfast, along with a full pot of strong coffee. Then he dressed as warmly as he could, laced up his boots, and headed down to the garage with the keys to Jack's SUV in hand. 

He wasn't very used to driving the SUV, though he'd been driving his dad's pick-up truck since before he even got his license. He wasn't at all used to driving in the snow. But the roads had been plowed and salted and other people were driving, and he was damned and determined to get to Logan Airport and meet Jack there, because Christmas movies were never wrong and love actually is all around.


End file.
